Workers Needed!

We received this email from the local supervisor of the P52 Detroit team. Please pray for more workers!

 

Dear partners in ministry,

We had the blessing of having 3 ladies (Maria, Anna and Emily) for the past 52 days who came to minister among the Muslim community through ESL tutoring relationships.  During this time they shared the gospel stories with the women and families they met in Dearborn.  We know and are thankful that as God's word is shared that it will not return void.  Please pray for the families that they ministered to, that the seed of the gospel which was planted will take root and be fruitful.

Yesterday the summer Nehemiah Team (Project 52, see Nehemiah 6:15) left back for home leaving a void for needed continued ministry.  We need others who will continue to water. Before the ladies left, they asked if they could send friends to continue to meet with them, four of the families said "yes!" 

I pray that God would raise up a handful of Christ-following women who would be willing to continue to water the seed that was planted.  Please pray with me and consider how the Lord may be speaking to you regarding this.

I have had the privilege of meeting with one of these women's husbands, Ameer. He is open to learning English and also discussing the stories of Christ.  Pray for him to be saved!  Pray for his family and pray also for the husbands of the other women who are open to meet!

Please contact me if you feel the Lord speaking to you about being involved in this ministry opportunity.

 
-David

A {Pretend} Yemeni Wedding

Kasool, me, Samara, and Roobi

One of my favorite parts of each day is spending time with the women's children in their homes.  I always love being with children, but these Arabic kids have found a special place in my heart.  At one Yemeni home, Maria works with Alyan, Anna works with Haraz, and I work with the children.  Alyan and Haraz have four kids.  Some days I help the kids practice spelling, writing, and reading, but other days (my favorite days!) we just play.

One day, I asked them to look up a Yemeni song on YouTube and teach me to dance.  As they showed me how they danced at weddings, Samara and Roobi belly-laughed and Kasool tried to suppress her giggles at my dancing attempts.  Roobi dressed up in a beautiful little pink dress, complete with a "veil", and pretended to be the bride.  The girls took my hand and taught me the Yemeni version of line dancing.

At first, I was a little embarrassed at my white American attempt at dancing compared to their naturally beautiful, Eastern dancing.  But I realized my skill isn't what really matters.  What matters most is that my little friends see the love Isa has for them through the stories I tell them, the kindness I show to them...and my willingness to look silly by trying to dance like them.

Isa left His home in heaven and entered into our lives on earth so He could show His love for us and restore our relationship with Him.  God's plan for reaching the lost hasn't changed.  We can't show the great love of Isa by putting up barriers between "us" and "them."  

The Lord still calls us to leave our homes, our culture, and our way of life and enter into the lives and culture of those who don't yet know Him...and sometimes the best way to do that is through making a fool of yourself by dancing!

Lahifa

I listened as Maria prayed before we entered Maysam's home, asking the Lord to break down language barriers and to give Anna the words to say as she shared about Isa.  The day before we had tried to initiate conversations about Ramadan and the assurance of forgiveness of sins.  Maysam was eager to discuss her faith and listen to us share ours, but the language barrier made conversation difficult.

As Maysam welcomed us into her home, Maria and I sat by Maysam's sister and began helping her work through her English lessons.  Anna and Maysam sat on the couch opposite of us and attempted to resume their conversation from the day before.  Maysam expressed her frustration at not knowing enough English to explain Ramadan and then listened as Anna began to tell her about Isa.  I could hear Maysam often asking Anna to translate English words into Arabic on her phone, but we were confident that the Lord can even use conversations in broken English and Arabic for His glory.  Maysam and Anna spent several minutes trying to explain their faiths and understand each other. 

At four o'clock (about an hour after we arrived at Maysam's house), Maysam's friend, Lahifa, knocked on the door.  Maysam welcomed Lahifa and introduced us to her.  We quickly noticed that Lahifa spoke perfect English.  She sat down on the couch beside Maysam and Anna and immediately began to discuss Ramadan with Anna.  Lahifa told Anna about the purpose of Ramadan, how Muslims pray, and many other aspects of Islam.  Their conversation quickly turned into a deep discussion of forgiveness of sins, salvation, and the assurance of going to heaven.  At the end of our visit, Lahifa exclaimed that she has read books about Isa and she had been wanting to talk to a follower of Isa.  She expressed her dedication to Islam, but also her interest in learning more about Isa and discussing the differences in our faiths.  We were amazed at how the Lord had provided someone so interested in talking about Isa and so able to have deep conversations in English!

After our visit with Maysam and Lahifa, Maria told Anna and I that she had told her prayer partners back home to pray specifically at three o'clock, because our conversation with Maysam the previous day had been so good and that was the time we would be meeting with Maysam again.  Maria realized she had forgotten the time change, so her friends at home were praying at four o'clock our time, the time that Lahifa walked into Maysam's home.  God is so good and faithful to answer our prayers and provide persons of peace who are willing and open to hear about Isa!  

Mishel

Sharing with a friend

We sat in Mishel's living room as she told us with tear-filled eyes about the war in Iraq.  "Iraq, very bad.  War very bad," she said over and over again.  She told us that many of her family members are still in Iraq, including two of her sons. Suddenly, the endless conflicts in the Middle East were no longer distant events, but real wars that deeply affect the lives of our friends. We had shared many stories about Isa with Mishel in previous visits and we were able to see how the Lord was opening her eyes and heart to the truth of who Isa is.  Maria asked if we could pray for her.  Mishel smiled sweetly and said, "Yes, I want!" 

Anna, Maria, Mishel, and I lifted our hands, palms facing upward, as Anna began to pray to Allah in the name of Isa. Anna prayed for protection over Mishel's family and that Mishel would know the love of Isa.  I heard Mishel crying quietly and mumbling words in Arabic in response to Anna's prayer.  As believers, we know the Holy Spirit is always with us, guiding and encouraging us.  But in those sacred moments in the living room of our Iraqi friends, we felt the Holy Spirit as thick as a blanket, wrapping us in the love of the Lord.  After the prayer, Mishel repeatedly said, "Thank You, my God, thank You," with tears still rolling down her face.  We know Mishel is still trapped in the lie of her religion, but being able to be part of the process of witnessing her taking steps toward joining the Kingdom of Isa is the greatest blessing.

Please pray that:

• Mishel would have dreams and visions of Isa that would further open her eyes to see Isa as Savior, not just another Prophet 
• Mishel's husband would see the transforming work of Isa in Mishel's heart and would come to know Isa as his Savior

... stay with us forever!

"Emily, Insha'Allah (God willing) you'll stay with us forever!" 

Praying that the truth of Jesus' love takes root in my little friends' hearts and they always remember how deeply He cares for them!

-Emily

Dawn

Marge (a teacher at the Arab American Friendship Center with whom we're working) had warned us that some of the women's husbands might not allow their wives to receive English tutoring. However, after we made it to each home on our first day, I thought that wouldn't be an issue.  The first day of teaching was long, but it was so good.  I was especially encouraged by the first woman we met with, Dawn.  Her English was good and we were able to share the Bible stories on our hands (in henna) and read the story in the Bible so she could practice listening and then she read the story to practice pronunciation. Dawn seemed so open and eager to talk about her faith and listen to us talk about our faith. 

It seemed like Dawn wanted to keep a copy of the book of John, so we left it with her.  Later that evening, we got a phone call from an Arabic woman, but we couldn't understand what she was saying.  While we were still trying to understand her, an Arabic man took the phone from her.  I realized the woman was Dawn and the man was her husband when he said, "I saw the book you gave my wife."  Our hearts sank as Dawn's husband continued to tell us he appreciated what we were trying to do, but he did not wish to continue the program.  He was respectful, but very clear that we weren't welcome back in his home.  

We had felt like Dawn was open and receptive to Jesus.  It is so hard to not be able to see her again.  I have over-analyzed our decision to leave the book of John with her a hundred times.  I am struggling with not resenting her husband.  It is so easy for me to forget that our battle is not against Muslim men, flesh and blood.  The battle being fought is between Jesus and Satan and we know who has the victory.

I will miss meeting with Dawn and talking with her, but I am resting in that we were able to share Jesus with her.  We were able to tell Dawn about the real Jesus, who is Savior and not just another prophet, and we know that the word of God does not return void.  It is the Holy Spirit who changes hearts and draws people to the Lord.  We are called to obey, go, tell, and love, not save.  Our hearts hurt for Dawn, but we are rejoicing in that salvation depends on Jesus, not us, and that the Lord can work any situation for His glory.

Prayer Requests:

-that Dawn's husband's heart would be softened and he would allow us back in his home

-that the Lord would continue to work in Dawn's heart and draw her to Himself

-that Jesus would reveal Himself to Dawn and her husband through dreams and visions

-for wisdom in what we say and do

Henna Dance Party

This past Saturday we had the opportunity to go to a henna dance party hosted by some of our new friends.  These friends are believers and are deeply investing in the community of Dearborn, opening their homes and lives to our Arab friends in a really sweet way.  Our friends invited us and many Arab women to one of the couple's homes to eat, dance, and do henna.

Tammy telling the Bible story on her hand

It can be so easy for me to draw a line between us (believers) and the Arab women.  I can get so caught up in thinking that I am doing these women a favor, that I am the only one who has something to teach.  This night of fellowship reminded me even more that Arab women have so much to teach us.  They are hospitable and joyful and selfless in their friendships and families.  And they are pretty much the best dancers in the world.  In the basement of Tammy's home, we were simply a group of women dancing (some better than others...seriously, our new Arab friends can do anything and it looks so good) and sharing our lives with each other.

One of our new friends who is a believer, Becca, did henna on our hands.  Henna is pretty much my new favorite witnessing tool.  Seeing the way Becca could tell Bible stories through the pictures she drew on our hands was so beautiful! Maria, Anna, and I plan on using the book she used (it shows you pictures of Bible stories in henna and tells you what the pictures in the henna represent) and learning how to do henna soon. 

Yay for Becca's talent and sweet heart!

It is so wonderful to join the community of believers already in Dearborn!  It is so encouraging to see how their eyes are fixed on Christ and see the way they share their lives with their neighbors.  We are also loving forming friendships with the Arab women we are blessed to know.  These women are so open to our friendship and we are praising the Lord for how He is already working here.

Jesus heals the paralytic 

Prayer Requests:

-that we would continue to find favor in the eyes of the Muslim women in Dearborn

-that we would share the love of Christ through our friendships with the women 

Our Ministry

It still feels so crazy and unreal that we're actually in Michigan.  So far our days have been filled with meeting lots and lots and lots of people.  It's been wonderful!  Essentially, the purpose of our ministry this summer is to form intentional relationships with Muslim women living in the area (Dearborn, MI) with the purpose of sharing Christ.   Our primary method of forming these friendships is through English tutoring.  We will be meeting with the women in their homes to help them with English, but the focus of our hearts is to share the love and good news of Jesus with them.

Canada across the river!

In addition, we want to become involved with the college ministry at the church we're working with.  Pray that we can form friendships with the students and encourage them to continue a long term ministry with Muslim women in Dearborn.

Please Pray:

-for dreams and visions of Jesus for the people in our area

-for friendships to form 

-that the love and joy of Jesus would be evident in our friendships with these women

Meet the Team...P52 Detroit/Dearborn

This is Anna! She's from Tuscaloosa, Alabama and attends Judson College. Her favorite Bible verse is Romans 10:1.  

This is Maria! She's from Canyon, Texas and attends West Texas A&M University. Her favorite Bible verse is Romans 8:1.

This is Emily! She's from Panama City, Florida and attends the University of Alabama. Her favorite Bible verses are Jude 24-25.